How will the history and events that Kurashiki has experienced be passed down to the present and into the future?
On the third floor of the Kurashiki City Mabi Branch Office, in a room once used as the council chamber of former Kibi District Mabi Town (merged into Kurashiki City in 2005), is the Kurashiki City Historical Materials Preservation Office. This is a place where historical official documents, old manuscripts, photographs, and other materials from Kurashiki are collected and preserved for future generations.
We spoke with Taro Yamamoto, chief of the Kurashiki City Historical Materials Preservation Office, about the kinds of materials it holds and the painstaking work involved in passing its vast collection on to the future.
The information presented is current as of the article’s publication in August 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is the Kurashiki City General Affairs Division Historical Materials Preservation Office?
The roots of the Historical Materials Preservation Office lie in the compilation of the city history, which was carried out at City Hall. From fiscal 1989 through fiscal 2004, work on the 13-volume New History of Kurashiki City was conducted at the Kurashiki City Office Main Building. Materials gathered in the process were reportedly scattered among various storage locations while the city history was being compiled.
As a result, in 2009, the office and materials were consolidated and moved to the former Mabi Town Hall’s council chamber, which had become vacant following the merger with Mabi Town. The current Historical Materials Preservation Office was formally established as an administrative organization in fiscal 2020.
Its purpose is to research, collect, organize, preserve, and make available historical materials from the Kurashiki City area, including historical official documents, old manuscripts, photographs, and film.
Compilation work
The process of gathering and organizing numerous materials and manuscripts to create a single, systematic publication, such as a company history, municipal history, or dictionary
Historical official documents
Records created and preserved by government agencies that have been deemed historically important and specially retained
Old manuscripts
A general term for documents written and left behind by people in past eras
Approximately 375,000 items preserving Kurashiki’s memories
The Historical Materials Preservation Office holds approximately 375,000 items in total. According to data from the National Archives of Japan (June 2026), this is the fourth-largest collection nationwide among municipalities.
The collection breaks down as follows:
- Historical official documents: approximately 93,000 items
- Old manuscripts: approximately 199,000 items
- Donated photographs: approximately 17,000 items
- Donated film: approximately 38,000 items
- Books, newspapers, etc.: approximately 26,000 items
- Other materials (newspaper clipping books, etc.): approximately 2,000 items
Collection figures as of March 2026
Many of the materials have been donated by local residents.
Old manuscripts passed down in families that served as village headmen for generations are often difficult to decipher or use today, so many are donated to the Historical Materials Preservation Office.
Donated materials often arrive in the boxes in which they were originally stored. The storage facility also held materials named after old Kurashiki families, including the Ono Family Documents, Moriya Family Documents, and Hayashi Family Documents.
Letter of commendation from Ashikaga Takauji (1336, Kenmu 3; Kameyama Family Documents held by the Kurashiki City Historical Materials Preservation Office)
This letter of commendation is designated an Important Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture.
After Ashikaga Takauji fled to Kyushu, he was reportedly helped by Nakashima Yukiie (commonly known as Saemonjiro), who was in Tsuyama, as Takauji made his way back to Kyoto. This letter was given to him as a reward for his service.
It bears Ashikaga Takauji’s kaō (signature). It is an extremely important resource for studying the history of Okayama Prefecture.
The descendants of the Nakashima family later moved to Katashima in Kurashiki City and became related by marriage to the Kameyama family. The letter was ultimately donated by the Kameyama family.
Old map of the sailors’ residences in Kurashiki Village (c. 1677; Ono Family Documents held by the Kurashiki City Historical Materials Preservation Office)
This is considered one of the oldest maps depicting townhouses in Okayama Prefecture. It is a valuable resource that can be viewed alongside the townscape as it is today.
It details the names of residents at the time, the layout of their residences, roads, and waterways. The damaged map was restored to its present condition.
Letter from Kobori Masatsugu (1601–1603; Ono Family Documents held by the Kurashiki City Historical Materials Preservation Office)
This is designated an Important Cultural Property of Kurashiki City.
It is a letter from Kobori Masatsugu, who served as magistrate of Bitchu Province, to Sukemon of Kurashiki Village, who later became a village headman.
The letter instructs him to “load one hundred tatami omote and lumber onto a boat and transport them to Osaka,” apparently referring to the procurement of materials for construction at a castle of the time.
It is written in the “origami” format, in which the paper is folded before writing. It was originally folded, but has since been opened out and mounted.
Records of the Kurashiki Giso (1769, Meiwa 6; Kurashiki Giso Documents held by the Kurashiki City Historical Materials Preservation Office)
These records are also designated an Important Cultural Property of Kurashiki City.
The Kurashiki Giso was a mutual-aid system in which townspeople in Kurashiki during the Edo period voluntarily pooled silver as “gishu,” using the interest to help poor people and abandoned children.
Unlike similar systems in other regions that were led by domains or other authorities, a distinctive feature was that the townspeople themselves ran the system in Kurashiki, and it is known nationwide. The original is in good condition and has carefully added furigana readings.
Diary of Omori Kazuharu (Omori Family Documents held by the Kurashiki City Historical Materials Preservation Office)
This is a diary written by the head of the Omori family (Obieya), a rice merchant in Kurashiki. It is also designated an Important Cultural Property of Kurashiki City.
The 57 volumes record daily observations about life and events in Kurashiki’s urban area and surrounding region from 1902 (Meiji 35) to 1936 (Showa 11), accompanied by illustrations drawn by the author.
Each year’s volume has an elegant title, such as “White Robe Diary” or “Wind Flute Diary.” These are valuable materials documenting the region and everyday life at the time.
Measures to protect the materials
Once a year, the entire facility undergoes fumigation using liquefied carbon dioxide. Insect damage monitoring surveys are also conducted every year to prevent damage from insects.
In the room where photographs and films are stored, blackout curtains prevent light damage, and temperature and humidity are controlled around the clock, keeping the temperature below 20°C and humidity at 30–40%.
Methods for preserving and using historical documents have changed over time. In the past, historical documents were photographed onto microfilm and printed on paper for use.
The Sanyo Shimbun was first published in 1879.
Newspaper microfilms containing issues published since its founding are kept here. Since newspapers become historical records for the future, the original copies have been preserved since 1989.
Historical materials are generally never discarded, and the collection continues to grow year by year. Storage space is expected to be full in another one or two years, which is a current challenge.
Records of materials saved from the July 2018 Heavy Rain
During the July 2018 Heavy Rain, which occurred in 2018, the first floor of the building housing the History Archives Office was submerged. The office’s materials were on the third floor and escaped damage, but public records on the first floor and public records from schools in Mabi were soaked in muddy water and badly damaged. Faced with materials that had suffered severe damage, staff were at a loss as to what to do.
Mold had spread across the materials, and they smelled terrible. To repair them, the materials had to be frozen to stop the mold from spreading. The office had difficulty finding a place to store them, but Okayama Chuo Reizo Co., Ltd. eventually agreed to keep the materials at minus 23°C for more than a year, free of charge.
Afterward, the Fukuoka City Archaeological Center carried out vacuum freeze-drying (a method of drying materials by turning frozen moisture into gas), and the materials were repaired after being cleaned by the History Archives Office. Materials that were not frozen were dried in the gymnasium at Mabi Junior High School, while pages were turned one by one and cleaned in the art room.
Not all the materials could be saved. Most were beyond repair and had to be disposed of. Among the most important were school public records containing each student’s guidance records and “land cadastral survey sheets” showing property boundaries.
The land cadastral survey sheets were documents on which landowners confirmed boundaries and affixed their seals. Since the boundaries would become unknown if the documents were lost, they were repaired at the request of the National Land Survey Division and then returned to that division.
This process is documented in the Report on the Restoration of Water-Damaged Public Records.
Collecting records from the modern era as well
The office collects more than just materials from the distant past.
It also collects materials from recent years. For example, public records, school badges and flags, photographs, and yearbooks from schools that have closed (including Kasumigaoka Elementary School in Mizushima; Nishi Elementary School, Higashi Elementary School, and Shimotsui Junior High School in Shimotsui; and Kurashiki Municipal Tamashima High School) are preserved.
The office also keeps records of the 1974 heavy oil spill in Mizushima and materials related to the construction of the former city hall, designed by Kenzo Tange (now the Kurashiki City Art Museum), among other things. It also plays a role in documenting events from the modern era.
Initiatives to make use of materials
The History Archives Office is an institution whose primary purposes are collecting, preserving, and providing access to historical materials, as well as conducting research and studies. The materials are therefore not on permanent display, but the office welcomes inquiries and requests to view materials from people who want to explore local history in depth or conduct research using specific public records or historical documents.
- Searching the catalog online: Catalogs for approximately 250,000 items in the collection can be searched online in advance.
- Viewing rules: Materials can be viewed by submitting a simple application in advance. To avoid damaging valuable materials, visitors must follow rules such as “wash your hands thoroughly” and “absolutely no eating or drinking indoors.”
Photographic materials can be provided as digital data, and historical documents can be photographed with your own camera.
The office also focuses on outreach programs to help the general public and children become familiar with history.
- Publishing a research journal:
The office regularly publishes the research journal “History of Kurashiki,” sharing the results of local historical research with the public. - Exhibitions where you can see original materials:
The exhibition Exhibition of Materials: The Takahashi River in Maps was held for four days only, from Friday, July 24 to Monday, July 27, 2026, in the meeting room of the former Mabi Health and Welfare Center, next to the Mabi Branch Office. - Hands-on workshops for children:
The office holds unique events for elementary and junior high school students, such as “Historical Document Deciphering Experience,” where they take out and handle genuine historical documents, try reading them, and listen to explanations. (In 2026, it will be held on Thursday, August 6.)
History enthusiasts and people interested in historical documents also gather for events such as the “Historical Materials Lecture” and the annual “Historical Materials Commentary Session,” which focuses on a different theme each year.
Kurashiki City History Archives Office Information
| Name | Kurashiki City History Archives Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 3rd Floor, Kurashiki City Mabi Branch Office, 1141-1 Yata, Mabi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | Phone: 086-698-8151 Email: hisedit@city.kurashiki.okayama.jp |
| Parking | Available |
| Opening hours | [Office hours] 9:00 a.m.–5:15 p.m. [Hours for requesting materials] 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. |
| Closed | Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays Year-end and New Year holidays |
| Admission (tax included) | Free *Copies of materials made using the photocopier cost 10 yen per page. |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted Advance reservations are recommended, but not required. |
| Website | Kurashiki City History Archives Office |
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